Earth well digging machine



Feb. 24, 1970 c. w. BURRELL EARTH WELL DIGGING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed 001;. 26, 1967 INVENTOR.

Feb. 24, 1910 C. W. BURRELL EARTH WELL DIGGING MACHINE Filed Oct. 26. 1967 fia/ 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

United States Patent O U.S. Cl. 175-238 1 Claim ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE Improvements in earth Well digging systems are disclosed which comprise means and process for digging well holes into the earth. Said means include enclosed capsule means constructed to contain an operator therein and having digging jaw means operative at the lower end thereof which open and close, respectively, in single strokes for digging a well hole into said earth. Said process comprises lowering said capsule means into said well hole for digging downwardly into said earth via said digging jaw means. The earth displaced by said earth digging is stored in the lower end of said capsule means which latter is raised out of the well hole to dump such stored earth out of said lower end of said capsule means.

My invention relates to improvements in earth well digging systems.

The principal object of my invention is the provision of means in earth well digging systems for digging wells into the earth which means and process are thoroughly practical, safe for workmen, and e'icient in savings of man hours and fuel in digging wells into the earth.

The foregoing object of my invention and its advantages will become apparent during the course of the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. l-3 are side elevational view of improvements in earth well digging ssytems embodying my invention; and

FIGS. 4-11 are sectional views of the structure shown in FIGS. 1-3.

Briefly, said improvements comprise means for digging well holes into the earth. Said means include enclosed capsule means constructed to contain an operator therein and having digging jaw means operative at the lower end strokes for digging a well hole into said earth. Said process comprises lowering said capsule means into said well hole for digging downwardly into said earth via said digging jaw means. The earth displaced by said earth digging is stored in the lower end of said capsule means which latter is raised out of the well hole to dump such stored earth out of said lower end of said capsule means.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, 30 designates said embodiment which comprises a cylindrical casing 32 having a pair of quarter-spheric jaws 34 operative at the lower end thereof. Each jaw is pivotally mounted via its opposite corners on the casing 32 near a diameter thereof, as at 35. The lower peripheral edge of each jaw 34 is provided with spaced teeth 36, the teeth on each jaw interfitting in the spaces on the other jaw in the close position of said jaws. The casing 32 is provided with a pair of teeth 37 located on a diameter thereof near the opposite corners of the jaws 34 which teeth 37 are outboard of the teeth 36. A clevis 38 is made fast on the upper inside surface of each jaw to which is pivotally connected the free end of a piston rod 40 which operates out of one end of a hydraulic cylinder 42. The pair of cylinders 42 operate within wells 43 formed inwardly in a transverse wall 44 defining on the lower side thereof a storing compartment 46 behind said jaws 34 and on the upper side thereof an operator compartment 48. The rear rice ends of the cylinders 42 are pivotally connected at the bottoms of the wells 43 as at 45. The clevises 38 and the pistons 42 are offset on opposite sides in respect to a diameter of the casing 32 so that the piston rods 40 push and pull upon the jaws 34 as close to the center thereof as possible. While the space in the compartment 46 is principally for storing earth dug upon each closing of the jaws 34 an hydraulic oil reservoir 50 and a gasoline fuel tank 52 are contained in said compartment 4'6 against the transverse wall 44. The oil reservoir 50 is connected by an hydraulic oil line 53 to the suction side of an hydraulic oil pump 56 which is mounted upon the upper side of a transverse wall 58 defining on the lower side thereof said operator compartment 48. Another hydraulic oil line 54 connects the pressure side of the pump 56 to an inlet port of a lever operated hydraulic oil fourway valve 60 under control of the operator inside said compartment 48. An hydraulic oil pressure gage in view of said operator is connected in said oil line 54. A return port of said valve is connected by an hydraulic oil line S7 to the reservoir 50. A pair of hydraulic oil lines 59 and 61 connect the pressure ports of said valve 60 to the power and return sides, respectively, of the pistons in the cylinders 42. Depending upon the power position of the control lever for said valve 60 the pressure oil from the pump 56 will be directed to the power or return sides of the pistons in the cylinders 42, respectively, to close and open the jaws 34. In the neutral position of said lever such pressure oil will merely be circulated through the valve 60 and back to the reservoir 50 without actuating the pistons in the cylinders 42. The pump 56 is rotatably driven by the drive shaft of an internal combustion engine, generally designated 62, the fuel pump of which is connected to the tank 52 by a fuel line 64 which passes through the operator compartment 48. The engine 62 is mounted upon the upper side of said wall 58. The ignition switch 65 for said engine is located in said compartment 48 and is under the control of the operator therein. Adjacent the ignition switch 65 are the gages usual for said engine `62 including a horn button 67 by which the operator in said compartment 48 signals to the crane operator of a surface support crane 69 which crane operator controls the raising and the lowering of said embodiment 30. The operator in said compartment 48 sits in a vertically moveable shock absorbing seat 68 which has attached to the bottom thereof a pipe 70 which telescopes in respect to a pipe 71 upstanding from the wall 44. A compression spring 74 is concentrically disposed about smaller telescoping pipes 61, 63 and operates within the telescoping pipes 70, 71 to yieldably maintain the same axially separated. The wall 58 is provided with a hatch opening 74 by which the operator enters and leaves said compartment 48 which opening 74 is closed by a hatch cover 76 having spring loaded closures 77 and a capped pipe 78 projecting therethrough for pumping air into said compartment 48 in the event of an emergency. 79 designates a pipe elbow which is provided on another pipe projecting through said cover 76 for supplying air to said compartment 48. The air in said comartment 48 is maintained fresh by a battery-powered exhaust fan 80 which exhausts air from said compartment 48 to the atmosphere. The casing 32 has affixed to its upper end a hoisting bracket 82 provided with an eye 83 in which is engageable a hook 84 on the free end of a cable 85 of said crane 69. A shroud 86 encloses the hoisting bracket 82 and engine 62.

In operation of said embodiment 30, the operator of the crane 69 lowers the embodiment 30 to the earth where the teeth 37 dig in. Once a well hole, such as the well hole 88, is started in the earth the embodiment 30 traps air in the bottom of the well hole which trapped air cushions the descent of said embodiment 30 to the bottom of said well hole. When the embodiment 30 is at rest at the bottom of the well hole being dug the operator of the crane 69 signals to the operator of said embodiment 30 who then closes the jaws 34 to take another bite into the earth. The operator of said embodiment 30 signals the operator of the crane 69 when the jaws 34 are closed. The earth dug by the closing of the jaws 34 is stored in the compartment 46. The operator of the crane 69 raises the embodiment 30 to the surface, moves it away from the well hole being dug and signals the operator of said embodiment 30 who then opens the jaws 34 and dumps out the earth stored in the compartment 46. The operator of the crane `69 again lowers the embodiment 30 with the jaws 34 thereof open to the bottom of the Well hole and signals the operator of said embodiment to close the jaws 34 to take another bite into the earth whereby to repeat the foregoing steps until a well hole of the desired depth is dug. Using equipment heretofore available it used to require 40 gallons of gasoline and 26 man hours to dig crock wells which I can now dig using said embodiment 30 in 6 man hours of time and using 10 gallons of gasoline.

What is claimed is:

1. In an earth well digging machine for digging Wells into the earth, a cylindrical casing, a pair of quarterspheric digging jaws having open and close positions pivotally mounted at the bottom of said casing, transverse Wall means inside of the casing inwardly of the jaws, a pair of hydraulic rams pivotally mounted on said wall means for power driving said jaws between their open and close position, said rams disposed in criss-cross fashion in said casing behind said jaws and having the free ends of their piston rods pivotally connected to the inner ends of said jaws on opposite sides of the center of Said casing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,389,421 8/1921 Corrigan 299-67 X 2,671,283 3/1954 Sights 299-67 X 2,781,140 2/1957 Cryderman 214-657 FOREIGN PATENTS 354,914 12/1937 Italy. 117,434 4/1948 U.S.S.R.

ERNEST R. PURSER, Primary Examiner U.S. C1. X.R. 

